Smell of human stress affects dogs’ emotions leading them to make more pessimistic choices

Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more ‘pessimistic’ choices, new research finds. The University of Bristol-led study, published in Scientific Reports today [22 July], is the first to test how human stress odours affect dogs’ learning and emotional state.

New medication for stress urinary incontinence? Investigational drug shows promise

An investigational medication designated TAS-303 shows efficacy and safety in treatment of women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), reports a placebo-controlled clinical trial in the August issue of The Journal of Urology®, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

American Society of Anesthesiologists Launches ‘SafeHaven’ to Deliver Resources to Combat Burnout, Promote Mental Health

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced the launch of its new wellness initiative SafeHaven, a program created by clinicians for clinicians, offering personalized assistance to help combat stress and burnout. ASA, in partnership with the ASA Charitable Foundation and VITAL WorkLife, the leading mental health and well-being expert for health care organizations and their workforces, are providing the resource to anesthesiologists at a time when reports of physician burnout are at an all-time high.

Stress bragging may make you seem less competent, less likable at work

While work is occasionally stressful for everyone, some people wear stress as a badge of honor. They’re taking one for the team and want to tell you all about it. New research from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business found people who brag about their stress levels are seen as less competent and less likable by their co-workers.

Coping in the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be one of the most stressful, pivotal moments in an individual’s life. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Fred Hutch social psychologist and researcher Megan J. Shen, PhD, shares tips for coping with a cancer diagnosis and how patients and their caregivers can navigate appointments with their oncologists.

Roxane Cohen Silver elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Acclaimed psychologist Roxane Cohen Silver of the University of California, Irvine – whose groundbreaking studies on stress and coping have advanced understanding of how traumatic incidents like terror attacks, infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters affect people – has been elected a member by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Stress in America 2023: A nation grappling with psychological impacts of collective trauma

U.S. society appears to be experiencing the psychological impacts of a collective trauma in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a new survey by the American Psychological Association. Psychologists warn that a superficial characterization of life being “back to normal” is obscuring the post-traumatic effects on mental and physical health.

Worries about artificial intelligence, surveillance at work may be connected to poor mental health

Employees’ concerns about the use of artificial intelligence and monitoring technologies in the workplace may be negatively related to their psychological well-being and lead them to feel less valued, according to a survey from the American Psychological Association.

“Well-being index” predicts population cardiovascular risk

Well-being index (WBI) is a comprehensive measure of an individual’s satisfaction with their career, social and community relationships, finances and health.  Researchers compared results from a Gallup national WBI survey to CDC cardiac death data, and found a nearly 14%…

Chula Researchers Find Chemicals in Sweat That Can Reveal “Extreme Stress and Depression” and Successfully Test Firefighters’ Mental Health for the First Time!

A team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, have found chemicals in sweat that indicate high stress and depression. The pilot study of firefighters in Bangkok yielded the results with 90% accuracy, so they are poised to conduct mental health screening in other high-stress, and high-risk groups of professions hoping to reduce mental health problems and violence in society.

Do Children Inherit Parents’ Stressful Experiences?

Scientists are discovering that a parent’s experiences can lead to changes in gene expression that are encoded in the sperm or egg and passed to offspring. In other words, there is a way in which offspring inherit the experiences of their parents. This is different than inheriting genes for brown or blue eyes. It’s more like inheriting genes that are switched on or off for the purpose of being better adapted to a particular environment.

Pandemic Alcohol Use Linked to Nervous System Disruption in Pregnant and Postpartum Women, Hinting at Novel Clinical Biomarker and Intervention Potential

Increased alcohol use among pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with autonomic nervous system dysregulation, known to negatively affect resilience to change and further exacerbate the risk of stress-related mental health disorders and substance use, a new study suggests. The findings, although preliminary, underline the potential for a new clinical biomarker and novel personalized mobile health apps in facilitating treatment interventions. Previous research linked the pandemic to increased stress levels and drinking, including in pregnant and postpartum women. Alcohol use, and stress-related conditions such as depression and anxiety, are associated with dysregulation in the feedback loop between the body and the brain. This process involves the peripheral autonomic nervous system, which regulates the heartbeat. Healthy, resilient people tend to have higher heart rate variability than people with stress and substance use disorders. Heart rate variab

Binge Drinking and Night Shift Work Linked to Greater Likelihood of COVID Infection in Nurses

Working the night shift or binge drinking may double the risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a study of nurses published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Both alcohol misuse and night shift work have been shown to impact sleep and promote inflammation in the body, which has been linked to COVID disease severity. The findings from this study strongly suggest that alcohol and circadian misalignment contribute to the development of COVID disease in people exposed to the virus.

At-home yoga reduces anxiety, improves short-term memory

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology designed a virtual eight-week moderate-intensity yoga program geared specifically toward full-time working adults experiencing symptoms of stress. The trial, which appeared in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, led participants through three self-paced remote workouts each week, assessed levels of stress and anxiety in addition to executive functioning. The results showed overall decreases in stress and anxiety.

Gene in the brain can put brakes on anxiety, discover scientists

A gene in the brain driving anxiety symptoms has been identified by an international team of scientists. Critically, modification of the gene is shown to reduce anxiety levels, offering an exciting novel drug target for anxiety disorders. The discovery, led by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, is published online today [25 April] in Nature Communications.

Injury Prevention Tips from UC San Diego Health Experts during National Basketball Tournament

While many are tuning in to watch the NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament this weekend, cheering on their favorite team to win, accepting an unexpected loss or even inspired to hit the basketball court themselves, experts from UC San…

Prompt Treatment for Functional Neurological Disorder in Children Is Highly Effective

Treatment is scarce for functional neurological disorder (FND), which requires a multidisciplinary approach. A special report published in the March/April issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry (HRP) aims to show clinicians and institutions around the world what is needed to establish effective community treatment programs for FND, as well as hospital inpatient and outpatient interventions, in their own health care settings. HRP is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Early-life stress can disrupt maturation of brain’s reward circuits, promoting disorders

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 27, 2023 — A new brain connection discovered by University of California, Irvine researchers can explain how early-life stress and adversity trigger disrupted operation of the brain’s reward circuit, offering a new therapeutic target for treating mental illness. Impaired function of this circuit is thought to underlie several major disorders, such as depression, substance abuse and excessive risk-taking.